The Eight Beers of Christmas
Complete
Beer # 1 <> Beer # 2 <> Beer # 3 <> Beer # 4
Beer # 5 <> Beer # 6 <> Beer # 7 <> Beer # 8
I was in Total Wine the other day and was in the single serving beer aisle and I decided to have another "beer war".
So at the top of the page are all the contenders.
I may have drank a couple of these in the past: Arrogant Bastard seems familiar and the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA does too. The Ballast Point is Aloha Sculpin IPA and I'm pretty sure I've never had that one before.
So starting today, December 20th I'm going to have one of these beers each noon until they're gone. I'll drink them in the order in the picture above from left to right.
Offensive IPA.
I don't know why they call it that because it's really not offensive. It's also really not a good IPA. A bit of hops but there are many better IPAs. I think these guys just make up names to entice you into buying their beer. Like the next one...Arrogant Bastard!!! Right!
Maybe the problem is I bought a less-than-fresh bottle. Look at the bottom of the bottle...it says For Optimal Freshness Enjoy By: 11.18.19 Thats November 18 - over a month ago! The 8 and 9 just look like a blob of dots in the pic but they are an 8 and a 9. Trust me.
At 6.6% alcohol it has a bit of flavour but not that much. I probably wouldn't buy it again.
It does have a pretty decent colour though. I usually just drink straight from the bottle but in this beer war I will put all the beers in a glass.
The brewers website says 40 IBU...International Bitterness Units...that's low (I think) for an IPA. We'll see where the others are at.
Arrogant Bastard.
I like what is says at the bottom of the bottle..."Quite refined, unlike you"
Anyway, it's not a bad beer but at 8.1% alcohol it's not a beer you're likely to have regularly or have more than one at a time. It's just too strong. Somehow it doesn't even seem you're drinking a beer..it's more like a cocktail...ala rum 'n' coke.
The back of the bottle is interesting.."I didn't give you permission to pick me up let alone drink me...?" It is quite an arrogant bastard.
The colour is magnificent. A deep reddish brown. I think out of the first two beers Arrogant Bastard is ahead by a few points.
I tried to get info on Arrogant Bastards IBUs but this is what their website says.
"Classified" ... bad bad bad Arrogant Bastards ...
Northern Hemisphere Wet Hop IPA
By Sierra Nevada.
I've drank a variety of Sierra Nevada beers over the years but I've always thought there was something about them that I didn't much care for. Can't put my finger on just what it was but I decided to give this one a try.
A very colourful front label. Lots of info there. Brewed in 2019 - makes sense. brewed locally - about 9 hours by car north of where we are now. Map
About Wet Hop - most beers are created with dried hops - those that have been harvested and dried. Wet Hop beers have been created with the fresh hops right after harvest and that's why wet hop beers are only available in the fall - because that's when the hops are harvested. DUH!
The beer I drank was packaged on September 26, 2019 - less than three months ago.
The colour is fantastic, the flavour was wonderful. At 6.7% it's still a bit much for multiple bottles in one sitting but a person could definitely have a few of these each week. I'd say this beer in now the leader
The brewers website also contains a bit more info... 68 IBU ... the previous namby pamby Offensive IPA was at 40. 218 calories...YIKES ...don't want to drink too many of these in a day. I had no idea what Original Gravity / Finishing Gravity meant so I searched it on the web. Here's the answer.
Beachmaster
North Coast Brewing Company's Imperial India Pale Ale. And it's a strong beer...9 % ... yowza, it's almost like a Rye and coke.
With an IBU count of 100 it's about a bitter an IPA as I've tasted. It really is too bitter without any of the citrusy flavours that combine with the bitter flavour to make an IPA that I'd like.
No back label...just a bit on the side of the front label.
A pretty decent colour but I don't think this one will be in the winner's circle.
The beer has its own web page.
Steve Austin's Broken Skull IPA
So this is the best one yet. A truly great IPA and the first one that I think I might buy again.
I had to wonder why Steve Austin aka The Six Million Dollar Man would have a beer named after him. Why not I guess?!?!?! So I googled Steve Austin and it turns out it's another guy - some sort of bald headed wrestler.
Anyway, it's a really good IPA. 6.7% Alcohol - a nice spot for IPA - but the can is huge - it's a full pint which is 16 ounces - a regular beer is 12 ounces so 1/3 more.
Designed by Steve Austin - yeah! right!! - I'm guessing Steve-o got a few bucks for the use if his name and that's about it.
A very nice colour as well.
Aloha Sculpin IPA
As noted above I have drunk Sculpin IPA before but not one designated as ALOHA IPA.
And guess what...it's a really good beer. I'd says it's now a tie between this one and the one before it. Alcohol is 7%. The brewers website says the IBU count is 70 which, I think, is a good spot for a really drinkable IPA. One of the previous beers was up at 100 IBU and it was really too much - for me anyway. This is a beer that even a non-IPA fan would probably like.
A sculpin is fish. There must be some sort of connection???
A really good colour with a bit of head to boot.
Two more to go and tomorrow is Christmas Day....
Clear Daze Juicy IPA
What can I say...??? It's just not a great beer. The can is colourful and contains lots of information but the beer is just not that great.
6% alcohol but only 40 IBU. The brewers website also has some different info. See below.
Brewed in Salt Lake City, Utah. I didn't think Mormons drank alcohol. Maybe that's the problem..they make this beer but don't drink it to find out what it tastes like. I suspect that's not really the problem though.
This is the info from the brewer's website - SRM - that's how they describe the colour. And they even show you which type of glas to use. Maybe I used the wrong type of glass?
Nice colour but unfortunately not a beer I am going to buy again.
Lil' Squeezy Juicy Ale
by Deschutes Brewery in Bend , Oregon
Another disappointment. I've had Deschutes IPAs before and they were quite good. This one tho' is simply an ALE - not a Pale Ale and it really doesn't have much going for it.
A relatively low IBU count and 5% alcohol.
See circled area below..."Freshest within 4 months"... I looked at the bottom of the can and I see it was bottled June 24, 2019.. so that means I should have drunk this 2 months ago to get it's best taste. Oh well...
I didn't even bother getting a picture of the beer in a glass...it was just unimpressive.
So that ends the Eight Beers of Christmas Beer Wars
There are only two beers out of this eight that I will buy again:
The Aloha Sculpin IPA and Steve Austin's Broken Skull IPA.
I'd have to drink each of them again to say which was best so for now I'll just says it's a tie.